On this day: December 31

Times Square holds its first New Year's Eve celebration, the board game Monopoly is patented, "Calvin and Hobbes" say goodbye, and the U.S. relinquishes control of the Panama Canal, all on this day.

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Russian Presidential Press and Information Office

1999: Boris Yeltsin, the first president of Russia, makes a surprise announcement of his resignation, leaving his chosen successor, then-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, as acting president, with elections set for March 26, 2000.

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